Friends, Not Rivals
by Dragooncroft
Summary: After the incident with Blue's Raticate on the S.S. Anne, Red pays a special visit to comfort Blue for what he himself has unintentionally done.


Had the inspiration to do a quick one-shot Fanfic, and since this week was incredibly depressing and tough, I thought this would be the perfect thing to write about. I'm sure someone has probably already wrote something like this. Sincere apologies. Regardless, I hope you like it. Leave a review if you get the chance.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon (credit to Satoshi Tajiri, Game Freak, the Pokémon Company, Nintendo, 4 Kids Entertainment, etc.)

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**Friends, Not Rivals**

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The grotesque town of Lavender had always been hushed, but something about today seemed almost too quiet-so deathly quiet that it even sent shivers down Red's back. The lifeless stone path was practically masked over by ugly, overgrown roots and chartreuse weeds. It was almost as if no one had walked the path in decades. Many people came to this unsettling town to mourn over the death of their closest companions, but this wasn't exactly Red's case. He had other reasons for being there, and he certainly wasn't proud of them.

The wind picked up with every step he took, uncomfortably nipping at his cheeks. He shivered when he pressed his warm knuckles against his icy face. His stone cold, dark-chocolate eyes wandered curiously up to the sky. It was leaden and gray, with not a spot of blue to be found. The rustling of the leafless trees made Red pick up his pace, but not in fear. He could never admit that maybe he _was_ just a little afraid-no. He couldn't think this way. He had never felt fear in his entire career as a trainer. But still, he cringed mentally, thinking about what might go down in only a few minutes.

_I can see my destination from here _He thought, noticing the sky-scraping structure peaking over the thickly entwined branches standing on either side of the path.

Something cold splatted on top of his white nose. Taking both his index and middle fingers, he wiped the top where he felt the coldness to see what had plummeted from above. It was wet, but he was certain he wasn't sweating. Before he knew it, another drop splashed on his pale cheek. Soon, a small drizzle covered the entire town, and Red.

_ This is refreshing _He thought. _A little sprinkle never hurt anyone._

But he regretted thinking this, for in a matter of seconds, the delicate 'drizzle' that was once in his presence had turned into a ferocious downpour.

Now sprinting, Red tried his best to navigate over the brittle trail without crashing or slipping. He dodged roots and holes where stones were missing, barely keeping his balance. He jumped at the barking thunder heard not too far away from him. Several twigs smacked him across his face from being blown off the trees, but this didn't phase him. Finally, the young Red had managed to get inside the tower - his destination - before getting completely soaked. He rested his dampened hands on his knees, panting. He took off his red and white hat and shook it until it was rung dry.

_I can't believe I'm here _He thought to himself, remembering the last time he was there. Those were the bone-chilling memories he'd forcibly pushed out of his mind.

He also noticed the absence in the lobby of the tower. The walls and floor tiles were to their usual unwelcoming swamp-green, but there wasn't a human in sight. Shrugging, Red made his way up the first flight of stairs.

Like the lobby, the first floor was dormant with nothing but a sea of dull-gray tombstones. Grimacing at the emptiness, Red slowly weaved his way through the tombstones - the ones in which were either cracked or faded from age.

He searched almost every corner of the floor, until he had finally given up.

"Maybe he left already," he scoffed, turning around to leave. "And maybe I should just go."

But as soon as he made his way to the stretch of concrete steps, he caught glimpse of a shaded figure out of the corner of his eye. Narrowing his eyes, he could see that the figure was sitting by one of the small monuments, turned away from him.

"Blue?"

"Red? Is that you?"

The tone of the returning voice was fragile. It was almost as if his own voice was piercing through it, shattering it into fine bits and pieces.

"It's me, yes."

"Red, I-"

"W-words can't describe how-how sorry I am," Red interrupted. "And I will bare this scar forever."

"You don't know how much you hurt me," Blue quavered. "And how much this is going to haunt me, forever."

"Blue, I-"

"You killed my Pokemon.. my sweet little Raticate," he choked, tears growing in his eyes. "My buddy, my pal. My closest friend. He's gone because of you."

Red's throat constricted so much that he could barely breathe. With all the guilt and blame thrown upon him, he felt like absolute trash. Never before had he caused too much mischief, but murder? This was a thousand steps too far. He could only clench his fists, which he did so tightly that it could have snapped his joints and fractured the bone.

"He was just an innocent Raticate.." Blue cried out.

"It was a horrible accident. I would never want to kill any of your Pokemon. I didn't know it could have caused death," Red murmured. "And I wanted to come here and comfort you because I felt really bad."

"You came to comfort me?"

"Yes, and it was my fault. I shouldn't have fought so roughly," Red replied. "And you can hate me, but just know that I-I'm sorry, okay."

He had to push himself to say this. Blue wasn't the only one hurting. Anxiety had always gotten the best of both of them. It suffocated them at times, especially right now. Blue looked up from having his head down in sobs. His slate-black eyes, hidden behind glowing tears, stared deep into Red, taking in what he was saying; a tear shedding down his cheek.

As much as he really wanted to, Red could not respond. He was too mind-clouded to think of anything to say. He was out of words. Speechless.

"That's really nice of you, Red."

There was silence as the two wordlessly stared into each other's eyes. It had even more of an impact than words could vouch for.

Without prier warning, Blue threw himself at Red, hugging him tightly and sobbing onto his back. Red did not budge, for he wasn't the hugging type, but did pat Blue on the back, reassuring him that everything was going to be alright. Throughout all of this, he continued to keep his rigid, expressionless face. Blue released his hug after a couple seconds and flinched for a moment.

"Red."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we'll ever be friends?"

Red didn't initially respond, which Blue assumed meant he'd confused his rival.

"I'd say we're friends already."

Blue smiled brightly, holding off the menacing grief he'd felt earlier. He could've sworn he'd even seen Red crack the slightest smirk, but he couldn't be sure. Even if he did though, it was gone now.

"But this doesn't mean we can't be competitive." he snarled.

"I would expect no less," Blue retorted. "I'm going to use this hardship as motivation to become the Indigo League Champion. Count on it, okay?"

"Yep, sure thing.." he groaned. "Now let's get the heck out of this place."

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And as the two set off in opposite directions, they will always reminisce over the good times they've had throughout their lives. And when they meet again someday, they will always be reminded that they are Friends, and Not Rivals.


End file.
